Tainted Hearts
by Dreamweaver4121
Summary: Feelings of some of the Z fighters towards their more powerful Saiyan comrades are warped and used against them. *Complete*
1. Tainted Hearts

Tainted Hearts Part One

Within this story, we have characters from Dragonball Z. Obviously, since this is where the characters came from, I don't own any of them. No profit is being made from this story. Any lawsuits that still may arise won't net much, since I am quite poor.

This story has been rated PG by the Imaginary Fanfiction Raiting Board.

In the massive expanse that is our universe, there are many different galaxies, each teaming with its own life, each with their own stories to tell. However, the Terran System in the Milky Way Galaxy, particularly the third rock from the sun possessed arguably the most interesting of all stories that could be told. 

This planet, Earth had been threatened by everything from aliens to androids and had usually come out unscathed. It was when a near unstoppable monster named Majin Buu appeared that the Earth had been destroyed. But with the help of two near extinct races, the Saiyan and the Nameks, and seven artifacts known as Dragon Balls, the Earth and all of its inhabitants, save anyone evil, was restored.

The wish for restoration, however, did have one drawback. The evil that disqualified a person from returning came from their hearts. Computers didn't have hearts.

In the bowels of the mountain range near the Northern City, there was once a lab that was occupied by Dr. Gero, the lone survivor of a militant group known as the Red Ribbon Army. From there, he created the interments for the destruction of the person responsible for the demise of the Red Ribbon Army, Son Goku. However, Dr. Gero's creations turned on him and murdered him, and his lab was destroyed by a Saiyan from the future, named Trunks. 

Though many of his workstations were destroyed, Dr. Gero's main computer survived deep underground, and continued producing androids whose sole purpose in existence was to kill Son Goku. With the destruction of those androids, the computer shut down, and with the defeat of Gero's greatest creation, Cell, the madness of Gero was soon forgotten.

When Earth was restored from its encounter with Majin Buu, Gero's computer was also restored. The main base of its program remained; create an android capable of killing Son Goku. With materials severely depleted, it was able to create only one android. 

This android was different. While the other androids tirelessly traveled the world to locate Goku and tried to defeat him themselves, this one took a more cerebral approach. This one studied all of the data the computer compiled of all of the encounters between Goku and the androids. It was as if it was there itself as it witnessed the defeat and/or destruction of all the androids by the hands of Goku and his friends.

After taking some time to compute the information, the android, clearly male in design, smiled. He knew exactly how to destroy Goku, and no matter how strong Goku may have gotten between then and now, there was no possible way he could win.

Dreamweaver Studios Presents

Dragonball Z:

Tainted Hearts

Part One

As it had been for as long as anyone could remember, the weather on Kamesinnin's island was picture perfect. Kuririn sat in a lounge chair enjoying the scenery while his wife #18 was tending to their daughter in the house. Though one would dismiss him because of his size, Kuririn possessed incredible power and was easily the most powerful Human alive.

Most powerful Human. As for the title of most powerful person, however, he wasn't even in the running.

Even though he greatly powered up over the years, he didn't know how he would fare if he were to get in a serious fight with his cyborg wife. And then, of course, there was the Namek, Piccolo and the two Saiyan families. He was so outmatched that even if he fought one of their ten or eleven year old children, he wouldn't stand a chance.

As much as he tried not to, there was a part of Kuririn that was bitter with how things turned out. Despite all of his training, despite all of his experience, despite all of his power, Kuririn was as helpless as a person who didn't have any of what he had. Every major enemy he faced from Piccolo to Nappa and Vegeta to Majin Buu were so overwhelming that it was almost laughable when he tried to fight them. He always had to depend on someone stronger than him to save his hide, be it Goku, Gohan, or even Piccolo and Vegeta themselves.

But, no matter how strong the enemy was, Kuririn was right there beside his friends to fight with them. And even though they hardly ever made a difference, Kuririn always got his licks in... except with Majin Buu. When he charged at Buu, he couldn't even get the first punch thrown before the pink monster turned him into chocolate and ate him. He couldn't even save his wife and friends; as soon as he was eaten, they were turned into chocolate and eaten soon after.

That had taken all the heart Kuririn had out of him. If he couldn't even sacrifice his life to save his family, what good was he?

"Kuririn, did you hear that?"

So lost in his self-pity, he didn't notice that his wife or his sensei, Muten Roshi were at the window addressing him. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

"I said that I got a telepathic message from Goku," Roshi said. "He told me that Satan City was under attack by some monster, the Hirudegarn, or some nonsense like that."

"I suppose you want to go and help them," #18 said.

"Why?" 

Needless to say, Roshi and #18 were stunned by the warrior's answer. "Say what?" responded Roshi.

"Why should I go?" Kuririn reiterated. "I'm sure that if I did go, all I would do is get in the way. I'm sure Goku and the other Saiyans can handle it."

Roshi's body may not have been what it once was, but his mind was sharp as ever. He could detect that underlying tone of resentment when Kuririn mentioned the Saiyans. It was the same kind he felt towards Goku, Kuririn and the others when he was no longer able to fight with them. His mind wandered all the way back to when Raditz landed on earth. Raditz was so overwhelmingly stronger than he was, and he was the weakling of enemies that followed. 

Kuririn wasn't as old now as Roshi was then and he's already experiencing the feelings of worthlessness. If Roshi understood his pupil right, the last straw was with Majin Buu, where even though Kuririn sacrificed himself to save everyone else, Majin Buu got them all anyway.

"AAAAK! MOMMY! SPIDER!!!" came little Marron's cry from deeper in the house.

"I'm coming," #18 called back to her daughter. Before she turned to go, she cast one last, concerned glance at her husband. If there was a fight and his friends were in trouble, Kuririn would never just sit back and do nothing, no matter how strong the enemy was. This wasn't like him.

"Kuririn is feeling quite low now," Roshi said. "He needs someone to help him, at least, get his mind off of his problems. Who better to do that than his wife?" #18 looked at him. He put a reassuring hand on her and continued, "Don't worry, I'll take care of Marron's little problem. You take care of Kuririn."

#18 smiled. It was at times like this that she really appreciated having the aging master around. She would really like him if it weren't for his...bad habits. She put her hand on his shiny head and said, "Thank you Kamesennin, I really appreciate your advice. So much so that I'm giving you an opportunity to remove your hand from my butt before I squash your head like a grape."

"Eh? Now how'd that get there?" he said, as if realizing it for the first time. She squeezed his head and he screamed, "OK! OK! I'LL LET GO, JUST STOP THAT!" #18 walked out of the house, leaving the turtle hermit to tend to his sore head. 

"AAAAAAK! MOMMY!!!" cried Marron again.

"Don't worry darling, Uncle Roshi'll save you!" he said, gallantly. He rushed to where Marron was. As soon as she saw him, she ran behind him to hide from the arachnid. "All right, honey, where is this big bad spider?"

"Over there," said Oolong, also hiding behind him. "Kill it. KILL IT!!!"

Roshi looked at the shape-shifting pig, "What are you doing Oolong? Why couldn't you kill the spider?"

"Are you kidding? That thing's a monster!"

"*sigh* You're pathetic."

"That's not fair," Oolong whined, "if she can cry to her mommy, why can't I?"

Roshi snorted, then squashed the offending spider. Marron jumped up and down, "Thanks Uncle Roshi, you're the best!" Roshi scooped her into his arms and let out a hearty chuckle.

Oolong latched himself to Roshi and said, "Yeah, thanks Uncle Roshi."

"Gedoff me, pig." 

Curious as to how #18 was coming along with Kuririn, Roshi went back to the window to look out at the beach. To his surprise, they were nowhere to be found.

"Uncle Roshi, where's mommy and daddy?" Marron asked.

"Hmm...well, daddy was feeling a little blue, precious," Roshi said. "Perhaps they just went somewhere where they could talk in private."

"Or..." started Oolong, with a sly look on his face, "maybe mommy took him somewhere so she could help him FEEL better, ay?"

Ignoring Oolong's innuendo, Roshi pondered the question further in his mind. #18 usually did as she pleased, but it wasn't like Kuririn to leave the island without a word to anyone. And it certainly wasn't like either of them to leave with no concern for their daughter. "Where did you two go?" Roshi muttered.

**************************

At a coffee shop in downtown Northern City, Yamucha sat at a table waiting for his date to arrive. Had he been paying attention to the time, he would've noticed that his date was ten minutes late. But he hadn't. While waiting, he asked the waiter to get a glass of water. While drinking, he saw himself in the reflection and he didn't like what he saw. 

He was old.

True, he was no senior citizen, but his days of youthful exuberance, his days of always being ready for the next big fight, they were all behind him. The thought of 'how did I get like this all of a sudden' ran through his mind. As he thought about it more, he realized that it didn't just happen. In fact, the event that triggered his becoming less and less useful in a fight happened when he wasn't even around to witness it himself; when Goku first became a Super Saiyan.

Since then, the enemies that showed up were so far over his head, that even if he did fight, there wasn't anything he could do to sway them...like when he was nearly killed by Dr. Gero. That was the straw that broke the camel's back. Pity, Kuririn was always in the fights, no matter how strong the foe was. Yamucha always thought he had that same spirit. But he stopped fighting altogether because of that near fatal shot from Dr. Gero...guess that made Kuririn the better man between them.

Of course, that wasn't even the biggest trauma that sapped his will to fight, he reflected as he saw a man and his wife laughing with each other as they and their child walked by the shop. Vegeta and Bulma...even after all this time he still couldn't understand it. He always figured, no matter what trouble would come between them, that when he was this age, it would be him and Bulma living together and raising a family.

Vegeta had come to Earth to kill all of the people and sell the planet. He saw to the deaths of himself, Tenshinhan, Chouzu, and Piccolo. His sole purpose in life was beating Goku. How could she fall for such a man?

It didn't matter. If there was anything he learned since the Trunks from the other timeline arrived, its that you can't change the past...at least not the way you'd want it. She was his, now and forever, and he, with no one to love and no real power to fight, was left to grow old alone. 

Funny, for some reason, he didn't feel like the date anymore.

****

Yamucha's date hurried as fast as she could to the coffee shop where they agreed to meet. It seemed nothing was going right for her. First she ripped her dress and had to get a new one. Then, her car broke down, making her have to ride the bus, which was late. It seemed like Kami himself was trying to keep her away from him.

"I'm so late, I hope he didn't leave," she said to herself. 

She rushed into the coffee shop, nearly bowling over an exiting couple. To her dismay and as she feared, Yamucha wasn't there. "AFTER ALL I WENT THROUGH TO GET HERE, THAT JERK ISN'T EVEN HERE? @#$&*(@#$!@**$&!!!"

**************************

Soaring high in the air, was one of Satan City's two acclaimed heroes, the Great Saiyaman II. Sometimes, Videl wondered why she bothered with the Great Saiyaman thing. She did just fine without it before. On the other hand, there was just this mystique and wondrous exhilaration that came with being a costumed super hero that she had become addicted to. 

'Super hero. Really?' she thought to herself. 'If I'm so super, why, when a real enemy comes, do I have to run and hide behind Gohan?"

At the mention of his name, her train of thought turned to Gohan. Who could've guessed that such a sweet, gentle guy like him could also be such a fierce and powerful warrior? She didn't at first. But it was because of him that she had become more than she could ever have hoped to before. Not too long ago, if someone had told her that she would be flying around the city like she was, she would've had them tossed into a mental hospital. But there she was, costumed and flying through the air with the greatest of ease like that Super-what's-his-name in Metropolis the Americans went on about.

Even so, before Gohan, she was the one everyone turned to when a major crisis came up and she was the one who handled them all. Now, it was as if she couldn't handle anything without his help. Sure, she liked being with Gohan...really REALLY liked being with Gohan, saving the helpless citizens of Satan City. But with all that she faced, Majin Buu, Broli, and just recently that Hirudegarn thing, she always ended up BEING one of those helpless citizens. 

If there was one thing Videl detested, it was being helpless.

But what could she do about it? She couldn't come close to Gohan or his friends in terms of strength. Even Gohan's baby brother, Goten and his friend Trunks were infinitely stronger than she was, and they were, what? Nine? Ten? It wasn't fair. There they were, the most powerful kids in the world, sons of real heroes and all she was, was weak, helpless Videl, daughter of Mr. Satan, the fraud. 

Before Videl could start feeling sorry for herself, something caught her notice in the street below. It looked like a couple of looters decided to take advantage of the city's poor condition to steal from a rental shop. This was something she could handle. 

She dove down to ground level, and taking her most dramatic pose, she called into the broken into building, "Stop right there! So, you thought you could pillage from this fair store during this time of crisis? Not while I, the Great Saiyaman II am ar--"

"LOOK OUT! IT'S THE GREAT SAIYAMAN II! GET HER!" Both of the looters brandished full automatic weapons and started firing at her. 

Videl did a super martial artist jump, sailing over the head of one of the looters and landed a kick to his temple on her way down. "You jerks!" Videl shouted. "You didn't let me finish my speech!"

Seeing his comrade easily felled the other would be thief ran for the exit. Videl took one of the small thirteen inch televisions off of a nearby shelf and threw it, clonking him in the head. "Looks like they were right. Television does mess up your head."

Minutes later, the police arrived and placed the two criminals under arrest. Before, this would've been just another victory for the champion of Satan City. But it seemed like such a small thing now that she derived no joy from her triumph. It seemed like, unless she had the power to face a major crisis like Gohan and his friends could and overcome it, she would never again be happy with what she did.

It seemed like she was going to be in for a long miserable, meaningless life.

After putting the crooks in their police car, one of the officers turned to her. "Thank you, Great Saiyaman, I don't know what we..." he trailed off, for the object of his thanks was no longer there. "Humph. Gone. How odd."

"Don't worry about it," his partner said. "After a while, you get used to it."

"You sound like you've been through something like this before."

"Yeah. When I went through the Policemen's Exchange program, I went to a city in America, I forget the name...but they had this moron over there dressed like a bat, you see...

**************************

**************************


	2. Tainted Hearts

Tainted Hearts 2

The sun shone brightly on the valley of Mt. Paozu, giving it the look of pristine serenity. In contrast to the peaceful appearance of the valley, sounds of fighting could be heard all around, as two of its inhabitants, Son Goku and Son Goten were sparring. 

Son Goku, who was recently returned to life by the elder Kai-o-shin for the purpose of fighting Majin Buu, recognized that he had spent little time with his youngest son and that it was good for Goten. So, Goku took out the entire day to spend it with Goten, doing the only thing he knew how.

Fighting in their normal modes, Goten was levitating to his father's chest and was throwing a volley of punches, all of which his father was blocking. In a last ditch effort, Goten threw a punch that had enough power to knock Goku off balance, thereby giving Goten an opening to exploit. Goku, however, dodged the punch. With So much power behind the punch, and no target to stop his momentum, Goten sailed right by his father. Goku took advantage of his son's positioning and landed an open palmed strike to Goten's face, sending him crashing to the ground.

Before his son could recover, Goku flew to where he was and delivered the knockout blow which should've ended the match. But Goten moved out of the way, so the punch only hit the bare earth and countered with a kick to Goku's chin.

Goten used the opportunity to stand up and set himself aright, as Goku reeled backwards from the kick. Both stopped momentarily, resizing each other up and resting from the previous bout. 

After a few minutes, Goku smiled. "That was pretty good, Goten. Your mother taught you well." Kind of strange, Goku thought. Where before, Chi Chi was always strict and said emphatically that Gohan didn't need to know martial arts, she was very liberal with Goten, teaching him to fight herself. He wondered what brought on her change of heart.

"Thank you, dad," Goten said in response to Goku's complement.

"All right then, any time you're ready."

"All right," Goten said, getting ready to attack again.

**Goku! Goku!**

Goku stood strait up. "Huh? Kamesennin?"

"KYAAAAAAAA!" *WHAM!*

At his moment of distraction, Goku was leveled by Goten's powerful blow. The hit sent him careening through a grove of trees and slammed him into a rock face. Immediately, Goten was at his father's side. "Daddy, are you all right?

Goku brushed the rubble off of himself and rubbed his jaw. "That's quite a punch you got there Goten. I'm very proud of you."

Goten beamed at his father's praise. "Thank you, daddy."

**Goku! Are you there?**

"Hold on for a sec willya Goten?" Goku looked upward in the general direction of Kamesennin's island and answered his sensei's telepathic call, **I'm here Master Roshi. How are you?**

**Not bad I guess. Listen, I have a strange feeling that something's going on. #18 and Kuririn have disappeared.**

**Oh?**

**Yeah. Kuririn was feeling kinda down, and I told #18 that she should speak with him. Oolong thinks they went off to talk privately, but they've been gone a long time and I know that neither of them, especially #18, would leave their daughter for such a long time.**

**I see,** said Goku. **So, what do you think we should do?** There was no answer from Roshi. **Master, you there?**

**Actually, I was going to ask YOU what we should do?**

Goku blinked and rubbed the back of his head. **Oh, okay…Well, let me see…** He extended his senses to reach out for Kuririn's ki. But, "Strange, I can't feel his ki anywhere."

"Who's ki, daddy?" asked Goten.

"Uncle Kuririn son." He turned his attention back to Roshi, **I can't sense his ki.**

**I thought so. Something is going on. What do you think we should do son?**

**Well, unless they turn up or something major happens, I don't think we can do anything.**

**…All right, if you say so. But I'm still worried.**

**I know, old man…I am too…**

_ _

_ _

Dreamweaver Studios Presents

Dragonball Z

Tainted Hearts

Part Two

Flying high above Satan City, Gohan, a.k.a. Great Saiyaman was making his rounds. The cleanup of the city was proceeding very well and the accidents that were related to the damage from their fight with the Hirudegarn were minimal. It looked as though, at least for a few minutes, the city could survive without its hero.

Gohan landed on the roof of Orange Star High School and pressed the button on his modified wristwatch that Bulma designed for him to change back to his regular outfit. Strange, he thought; even with all of the devastation around them, they decided that school should still be in session. Perhaps they thought with so many heroes around, The Great Saiya-team and, of course, 'The Greatest Fighter in the World', Mr. Satan, they would be safe, no matter what was happening.

As he proceeded down the staircase to the hall where his class was, he smiled. Gohan and Videl, the Great Saiya-team, protectors of Satan City. He loved the concept and he was so glad when Videl said that she wanted to become a hero like he was. He loved fighting along side her. In fact…he wasn't as naïve as his father was. He recognized that he loved her period. But as most males did, he was afraid to tell her so…afraid, basically, of either outcome; marriage or rejection.

To spend the rest of his life with Videl in marriage didn't sound so bad. He didn't understand why he would be afraid of that. But if she did reject him, he didn't know how he would react. He could become another Vegeta. Wouldn't THAT be nice?

He cleared his mind of those thoughts as he reached the entrance to his classroom. As he reached for the doorknob to enter, he stopped, realizing that a ki signature was missing from the assembled students: Videl. 

He knew better then do doubt his senses, but to verify, he took a peak through the small window on the door. Sure enough, Videl wasn't in her seat. Gohan made a U-turn and strode with purpose back up the roof of the school. He pressed the button on his watch, re-dawning his Great Saiya-man guise and took to the air.

"You won't find her," a voice said from below.

Gohan stopped before he got too far away. He knew who the voice belonged to. "Piccolo? What're you doing here?"

"I'm here to tell you that you won't find your girlfriend anywhere."

"Videl? What happened to her? Do you know?"

"Being stationed on Kami's lookout, not much escapes my notice," Piccolo said. "That's how I know something strange is going on. As far as I know, nothing out of the ordinary happened. She just dropped off of the face of the Earth."

Gohan looked out towards the city. "I can't feel her ki anywhere..."

"It's just like I said. You might want to tell the others that Kuririn and Yamucha are missing too. Something may be going around snatching all of the warriors away. I think it would be good if all of the warriors that are left be warned about this."

"But...Videl..."

"If this is a new threat, I'm sure they'll show themselves soon. They'll know what happened to her. We'll get her back. Okay?" Gohan's shoulders slumped and he nodded. "Good. I'll go back to Kami's lookout to see if anything else changes. You take care."

"I will. Thanks Piccolo."

**************************

Some time later, Gohan arrived at the headquarters of the Capsule Corporation to relay Piccolo's news to Vegeta and Bulma. He told them in detail about the disappearance of Kuririn, Yamucha and Videl. Bulma was shaken by the news of Yamucha's disappearance. As for Vegeta…

"And what does their disappearance have to do with us?"

"Vegeta, I can't believe you said that," said Bulma. "These are our friends you're talking about."

"That may be," Vegeta answered. "But if they weren't strong enough to look after themselves, then that's their problem."

"Piccolo thinks that someone or something is going around snatching all of the warriors away," said Gohan. "We should all be on the lookout for anything strange."

Vegeta snorted, "No one is going to snatch me or my son away. Anyone who tries won't live long enough to brood over their failure."

"You should probably tell Mr. Satan about this too," Bulma suggested.

"Didn't you hear him?" Vegeta said. "It's WARRIORS that're being snatched away."

"Yes, I know, I know. But still, his daughter was kidnapped. He has to know about this."

"Do I have to?" asked Gohan.

****

As per Bulma's suggestion, Gohan visited the Satan estate. He pressed the button on the intercom to announce his presence. He really didn't want to be there, because he knew what Satan's response would be, not only to the message, but to the messenger as well.

"Please state your name and your business," a person said over the intercom. Gohan figured it was a security guard.

"M-my name is Son Gohan. I am a classmate of Videl. I-I have some urgent news to relay to Mr. Satan regarding her."

There was a short pause on the other end. Finally the guard answered, "You may enter." On cue, the gate to the Satan estate opened. Gohan traversed the long walkway from the gate to the front door, where he was met by one of the security guards who ushered him in. 

The door closed behind them and a tranquil calm blanketed the Satan estate. The calm came to a screaming end when, ten minutes later, the door to the mansion flew open and Gohan ran out of the house with the World Champion following closely behind. 

  
"YOU BASTARD!!!" screamed Mr. Satan. "I KNEW SOMETHING LIKE THIS WOULD HAPPEN WITH MY DAUGHTER HANGING AROUND YOU! WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?!?" Gohan took to the air to bead a hasty retreat, one which he knew Satan couldn't follow. "DON'T YOU FLY AWAY FROM ME!!! GET BACK HERE!!!"

"I knew he would blame me for this," Gohan lamented.

**************************

"I'm home," Gohan said, happy to be back.

"Hi son," Chi Chi called. "Come in the kitchen, dinner's almost ready."

"Okay mom." Gohan entered the kitchen and found that Goku and Goten were already there waiting for dinner.

"Hi son," Goku greeted. "How's it goin'?

"Not too good," answered Gohan. "I got a visit from Piccolo at school today."

"Piccolo?" Goku repeated. "What would be so important that Piccolo would leave Kami's lookout to go to your school?"

"He told me that their might be something or someone snatching all of the warriors away. They already got Kuririn, Yamucha and Videl with no problem."

"Goku," Chi Chi said, "didn't you say that you got a message from Kamesennin saying something similar?"

"Yes, I did. He told me it was Kuririn and #18."

"#18's been taken too?" said Gohan, astonished.

"It's certainly strange," Chi Chi said while serving everyone dinner. "Why would anyone take Yamucha, Kuririn, #18 and Videl?"

"I don't know," Gohan answered. "I wish I knew who was next. Dad, what do you think we should do?"

"Ku kell guh troof, um nuh shoor," Goku said, stuffing his face.

"Uuh…never mind."

**************************

Several days had passed and there still hadn't been any word from Kuririn, Videl, Yamucha or #18. Gohan had frequently visited with Piccolo and was slightly alarmed to hear that no one else had been taken either. During that time, the remaining warriors combed the Earth looking for their missing friends, to no avail.

Night had fallen over the city and Bulma, who was coordinating the search efforts from the Capsule Corporation building had just told everyone to stop their searching and retire for the day. With everyone else's ability to fly and Goku's teleportation technique, most of the world had been covered. Bulma was beginning to take hold of the idea that some advance race of alien had come to Earth and spirited them away. For them, such a thing was not impossible. That, of course, would mean that they would have to shift their focus to outer space.

Bulma took a sip of her tea and let out a heavy sigh. Earth was one thing, but space? If they have been taken somewhere in outer space, there would be no way that they could be located. But that was something to think about in the future. There were still areas on Earth that needed to be covered and she was just too tired to think about anything else.

Turning her terminal off, Bulma got up to head for bed. Before she did, though, she took one last look around the building, as she did every night. True, with the security systems armed and with two of the most powerful beings in the universe living with her, she didn't have to make these nightly rounds, but there was nothing like the peace of mind making sure herself that everything was secure.

Halfway down the hallway, she stopped and turned around. She re-entered her laboratory and picked up her forgotten teacup. As she picked up her cup, she noticed on the terminal surface a shadow that was not hers. She turned around to meet the person behind her and found...

"Yamucha!" 

Yamucha smirked and Bulma let out a sigh of relief. "Uuh, Yamucha, you started me."

"Oh?" Yamucha said.

"Where have you been?" Bulma asked. "We've heard that you Kuririn, #18 and Videl had disappeared. Did something happen to you?"

"I'm shocked! I thought you'd be too busy living it up with your lover boy to care if anything happened to me." Bulma unconsciously took a step back. She didn't like his tone of voice. "Actually, something did happen to me. I had some time to reflect on how things turned out between us and I have come to a decision."

Bulma had been relieved when there wasn't much fuss when Yamucha originally found out about her and Vegeta. She felt she should've known that the subject would've come up again eventually. "W-what decision would that be?"

"I've decided...to kill you."

**************************

**************************


	3. Tainted Hearts

"K—kill me?" Bulma asked in disbelief. The man she once loved, the man she, at one time considered spending the rest of her life with was now standing in front of her threatening it. "W-why would you want to kill me?"

"You would ask me that?" Yamucha shot at her. "I loved you. I lived for you. I DIED for you. And you repay me by shacking up with the one who killed me! And you ask me WHY I'd want to kill you?"

"B-but even after that happened, we were friends. Why would you do this now?"

"I was never your friend after that," Yamucha answered. "What you saw was a person that was too weak to do anything but accept things as they were. But that has changed."

Bulma pressed herself against the wall opposite to Yamucha as much as she could. "Yamucha, what happened to you?"

Yamucha smiled cruelly, "I've just been given the opportunity to do what I've been waiting almost ten years for."

"And what would that be?" Yamucha turned around and saw Vegeta standing behind him.

Yamucha's smile grew more vicious, "Simple. I intend to kill you for taking Bulma away from me." He turned back to Bulma, "And I intend to kill you for allowing yourself to be taken."

"To think that she was worried about you," Vegeta sneered, staring at Bulma. He turned his attention back to Yamucha, "As for you, you dare to come into MY house and threaten ME? You seem to have forgotten who you're dealing with."

Still smiling, Yamucha said, "Maybe it's you who doesn't know who you're dealing with."

Finally, Vegeta could take no more. He charged, attempting to land a punch that would've normally caved Yamucha's skull in. Not even flinching, Yamucha caught Vegeta's punch. A wave of surprise ran through his being at Yamucha's feat. That surprise turned to agony as his fist was being crushed by a strength that Yamucha should not have possessed.

Yamucha released Vegeta's hand. Vegeta instinctively flexed his hand, making sure it wasn't broken, then looked back at Yamucha, his face still a mask of astonishment. 

Yamucha, on the other hand, never lost his cruel smile.

Dreamweaver Studios Preents

Dragonball Z

Tainted Hearts

Part Three

Deep underground in what used to be Dr. Gero's lab, the master manipulator was watching his handy work. Going back over all of the data tracks available concerning all of the encounters between Gero's creations and Goku, the android concluded that Goku was always able to win because of his friends; either they would save him, or he would find extraordinary strength to save them.

It was a logical assumption, then, that the best way to defeat Goku would be to pit his friends against him. 

As he was, the android couldn't go after any of the Saiyans because he wasn't strong enough yet, though he was making improvements to himself to remedy that. But the Humans and one of the rouge androids were easy pickings. He thought the process he put them through to brainwash and empower them was a success, but apparently, that wasn't the case.

The ingrained orders he gave each of them were to attack and kill Son Goku. But the Human Yamucha was attacking someone else...he checked his data tracks again…the Saiyan Vegeta. He figured that it was likely that he would have to encounter the other Saiyan, but it wasn't his intention to actively seek them out. As it was, as he checked the monitors again, there were only two that appeared to be following the program…

** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

It had become a rare occasion lately, so it was a real treat when Goku and Chi Chi were able to share the same bed. Despite how infuriating Goku was, jumping at the chance to run off into battle, Chi Chi always melted into his arms whenever the opportunity came. Not only that, but there was a feeling of security she had, knowing she was sleeping with the most powerful, if not the brightest, fighter in the universe.

This was a security blanket she would need to fall back on as a sound startled her out of her sleep. Now Chi Chi wasn't a slouch as a fighter either, but she too was aware that the enemies that appear that Goku, Gohan and the others constantly fight were way out of her league.

The sound repeated itself and Chi Chi decided it was time to wake her husband. "Goku…Goku honey, wake up."

Goku stirred and sleepily said, "Not again Chi Chi…even I need rest sometime…"

"Goku, wake up!" Chi Chi hissed. "I think there's a prowler."

"Hum?"

She started shaking him violently, "Wake up, Goku! Wake up!"

"Okay, okay. I'll go take a look." Chi Chi breathed a sigh of relief as Goku stumbled out of bed.

Goku didn't understand why Chi Chi was so worried. There were three Super Saiyans living in the house with her. Even if there was a prowler, it wasn't like they could do anything to anybody. Besides, Goku didn't feel the ki of anybody that didn't belong there. However, even though Goku wasn't the brightest light bulb in the package, there were universal things that even he knew…

Like you don't argue with a frightened wife.

So Goku checked everywhere inside the house and as expected, found nothing. He looked in his sons' room and found them sound asleep. Satisfied that he could assuage Chi Chi's fears, he started back to bed. That was when he heard the sound that startled Chi Chi out of her sleep.

'Sounds like something hitting the house,' Goku thought to himself. He stepped outside to check what was making the sound. Being so far into the mountains as the Son family was, there, of course, were no streetlights. But the moon, which returned when the Earth was recreated, shone with enough light to illuminate the valley. It was by this moonlight that Goku made a startling discovery.

"Kuririn?!?"

"It's about time," the diminutive warrior said. "I was wondering how long I was going to have to wait out here before you came out. You always did sleep like a log though."

Goku rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't dreaming. "Kuririn!!! It is you! Where've you been?"

"Oh, here and there."

"We were worried sick about you. We thought something might have happened to you."

"Something did happen to me," Kuririn said. "I've been given a wonderful gift and I'm just dying to use it." Goku had a slightly confused look on his face. Kuririn knew that look all too well…it was the one Goku wore most of the time. "Goku, do you remember, back when we were growing up and training with Master Roshi...do you remember how we used to spar?"

"I sure do," Goku said, smiling. "You really used to keep me on my toes."

Kuririn nodded. "Those were the days, weren't they? Even then you were much stronger than me, though. And when you became a Super Saiyan, what was the use? There was no way I could compete with a Super Saiyan."

Goku could feel the bitterness in his words, "Kuririn, I-"

"But, as I'm sure you're quite aware, things and people can change. So, whadya say you and I go a round or two?"

"Wha…now? This early in the morning?"

"Sure! Oh, by the way, it's been a long time since we last sparred. I think It'd only be right if we did all that time worth of sparring now." Goku looked confused again. "Of course that'd mean that this sparring match will have to be to the death." He added the last part with the same jovial tone he used with the rest of the conversation.

Goku only responded with another "Wha…" before he was struck in the gut by a strait punch from Kuririn. 'I don't get it,' Goku thought, 'he was a good fifteen feet away from me. I didn't even see him move.'

"Surprised?" Kuririn said, his voice darker than it was a moment ago. "Like I said, I've been given a wonderful gift; a gift of power. I'm dying to use it. Of course, you realize, after I use it, you'll be the one dying."

It was then that Goku realized that he couldn't read Kuririn's ki. "Something isn't right," he said aloud. "Either somebody did something to you, or you're not the real Kuririn!"

"Let me clue you in on something, 'old buddy'," Kuririn said, spitting out the last words, "That other guy you're referring to; always helpful, always supportive, always willing to put himself on the line to help his Super Saiyan friends, that person you're thinking of was just an illusion. Sure, he was real enough early on. But after Cell, Bojack, and Majin Buu…" he started trembling with rage as he remembered all of those encounters and how he ended up.

"C'mon Kuririn, I never cared how strong you were. I was always impressed with the amount of courage you had. That's what always helped me to continue fighting. If it wasn't for you, I would've never become a Super Saiyan."

"Yeah, and how many times has that courage you talk so highly about gotten me bruised, battered and buried? Courage is nothing without strength. I was genuinely happy for you when you first became so powerful. But when it became clear that as you and the other Saiyans got stronger I would become more useless, I became very resentful of all of you. You especially."

Goku was almost moved to tears, "Y—You don't mean that…"

"That other guy was just a figment of your imagination. I am the real Kuririn; consumed with all of the pain and feelings of worthlessness harbored for half my life. I'm determined never to be helpless…never to be worthless…never to be a second rate warrior to you, to Vegeta, or anyone, EVER AGAIN!" 

With the outcry of emotion, Kuririn attacked Goku with a ferocity he had only seen in Vegeta. Goku tried to defend against it, but he couldn't overcome Kuririn's new strength. Kuririn easily slipped through his defenses and rained down combinations so quickly on him that he couldn't see them. Finally Kuririn caught Goku with a roundhouse kick to the temple that knocked him back fifty feet before coming to rest on the ground.

"What do you think of your old buddy now?" Kuririn sneered.

By this time, everyone in the house was awakened by the commotion. Gohan and Goten were the first out the door to see what was going on. 

"KURIRIN!" exclaimed Gohan.

"Gohan! Goten!" Goku coughed, "Get back! Something's happened to Kuririn!"

The brothers finally saw the condition of their father and went into shock. "You should do as your father says, boys," Kuririn said, his aura starting to come alive around him. "This little discussion is between him and me. You should stay out of it." With that, he started towards Goku's fallen form.

"DAD NO!" Fearing for his dad's safety, young Goten changed into a Super Saiyan and attacked Kuririn.

"No! Goten STOP!" Goku and Gohan called.

Goten went after Kuririn with every attack he knew. But Kuririn dodged them all. Finally, Kuririn just swatted him away. "I told you, this is between me and your father. DON'T get involved."

Both Goku and Gohan were amazed. The same thoughts ran through their heads, 'I can't believe it. Kuririn was able to swat Goten away like it was nothing, even though he was a Super Saiyan!'

Gohan began to power up. "I don't know what happened to you Kuririn, but I won't let you do anything to harm dad!" He flew full speed after Kuririn. But before he could reach him, a ki blast descended from the heavens and exploded right in front of him. Gohan came to a quick stop, barely missing being hit, and looked up.

"Not quite the joyous reunion you had in mind, 'ay 'Great Saiyaman'?"

For what was the third time that morning, Gohan was in complete shock, "VIDEL!"

Videl landed lightly in between Gohan and Kuririn. "He's going to be busy with your father. I'm your opponent."

Gohan took a step back, "But-but why?"

"Same reason," said Videl. "Just another lowly Human who's tired of being in the shadow of a Saiyan. Now, I'm every bit the fighter you are. And I'm going to prove it by destroying you."

"Videl, no…" Before he could finish his plea, Videl, also with speed and power she shouldn't have, landed an elbow to his gut that launched him into the side of his house.

** **

Piccolo's eyes shot open and he bolted to his feet. Gohan was in danger. Immediately, he thought that whoever snatched the missing warriors were now trying their luck against the Sons. He didn't know who he would be going against, how strong they were, or if Gohan was in danger why Goku wasn't helping…nor did he care. There were only two words that ran through Piccolo's mind, 'Save Gohan.'

Piccolo was about to go over the side of Kami's Lookout to make his way to Earth, but he suddenly stopped. Turning around, he spotted an energy blast screaming towards his back. Simply stepping out of the blast's path, it harmlessly whizzed by and away from the Lookout.

Piccolo turned back to find the source of the attack. His eyes went wide in momentary surprise as #18 was standing about twenty feet away from him, with her arms crossed.

"I thought you were missing," Piccolo said, his astonishment passed.

"Nope. I'm right here," she said in her cold, emotionless voice.

Piccolo nodded. "I can probably guess what you're here for too." She smiled, making her look less like Kuririn's wife and more like the near unstoppable monster Mirai Trunks warned them about. "There was a part of me that figured you would turn on us."

"I'm not turning on anyone but you," #18 said.

That caught him by surprise. "Oh? And to what do I owe this distinction?"

"Because, even though you were responsible for my having a husband and a child now, you're also responsible for me and #17 getting absorbed by Cell."

"And how do you figure I'm responsible for that? If I remember right, #16 was the one who couldn't stop Cell from absorbing #17. And it was Vegeta that allowed Cell to get you."

#18 started towards him. "We were moving, trying to find Son Goku. But you stopped us and challenged us to that fight. If you hadn't done that, then we would've still been moving and Cell wouldn't have caught us. The nightmare with Cell was all your fault and I'm here to see that, after all this time, you pay for that."

** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

"This is nothing like I had intended…" the android commented as he watched his would be assassins battle four different targets instead of the one he wanted. As the android was upgrading his superstructure to make him more battle ready if it turned out that he would have to fight the Saiyans, or even his assassins, himself, he thought it wise to send a camera along with them to keep tabs on their progress.

When the four were caught going in three different directions, he sent out additional cameras to catch everything that was going on.

Watching the madness unfold before him, a new thought ran through his mind, 'Hmmm…this may be better than what I had in mind. Before, if my drones had carried out the plan as I outlined and killed Son Goku, then all of the others would've come looking for revenge. But if my minions kill all of their opponents…then even if all of their friends that remain come for revenge, they'd be too weak to stop me!'

'Oh yes, this is going much better than planned…"

** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **


	4. Tainted Hearts

Tainted Hearts 4

Murten Roshi sat outside his house, gazing at the star filled sky. At one time in his life, he was the strongest man on Earth; his speed, strength, power and senses having no rival. As with all people, though, age became a factor and his strength diminished. With the maturation of Goku and Kuririn and the coming of villains like Vegeta, Cell, and Majin Buu, he's seen power displayed that he could only dream of.

Those days of he being the strongest in the world seem so far away now. All anyone saw him as was an old pervert. Not to be misunderstood, he loved the life of a pervert; what male wouldn't get delight from the feel of a beautiful woman's soft warm curves? However, as a fighter, as a defender of Earth, he had little to offer. With the strength of the enemies his students regularly face, he couldn't come close to comparing.

What galled him the most was the fact that although his strength, speed, and power measured next to nothing now, his senses still worked as they did all those years ago. The sense to detect ki levels that Goku and the others took for granted was about all he had left. He, too, could sense when there was danger and, damn it all, he couldn't do a thing to help.

Like now. He could feel the danger in the air.

There was something in his bones that told him that this was somehow related to the disappearances of Kuririn, #18, Yamucha, and Videl. Whereas before, where he would've been in the thick of things, he had to sit back like the rest of the world and hope that Goku and his friends could handle whatever threatened the world and come out alive.

"Unca Roshi."

Roshi turned around at the little voice that came behind him, "Marron! What're you doing up still? It's passed your bed time."

"I heard the door open," little Marron said. "I thought mommy and daddy came home."

Roshi took the little child and held her in his arms, "No honey, they haven't come back yet."

She buried her head into his shriveled chest on the verge of tears, "Where are they? Why won't they come home?"

"Don't worry, child, they'll be back soon. I promise." He looked back up to the sky, 'Please hurry, Goku. Please bring this child's parents home alive.' 

Dreamweaver Studios Presents

_Dragonball Z:_

Tainted Hearts

Part Four

The Paozu valley was one of the most beautiful places on earth, especially at night. Just sitting down looking at the reconstructed moon bathe the scenery in a gentle halo of light and listening to the crickets and other nocturnal wildlife could give the most insane of individuals a serene and peaceful heart.

Goku, however, wasn't able to enjoy the sights. His heart was pounding and the only sounds he could hear was the ringing in his ears as a result of the blows inflicted by his one time friend. He just couldn't understand it; Kuririn was the best friend he had in the world. Why would he turn on him like that? Goku also couldn't understand how he got so powerful all of a sudden. Kuririn was able to bat Super Saiyan Goten away like he was nothing. 

Gohan found himself in a similar dilemma. Ever since he started attending Orange Star High School, Videl had been a part of his life…not voluntarily at first, but as time wore on, that changed. He was seriously thinking about their possibly spending time together outside of school and outside of the Great Saiya-man thing. But now…

"Dad, what're we going to do?"

"I don't know. We have to find a way to beat them without hurting them."

Kuririn suddenly appeared in front of Goku and landed a kick on his chin that launched him into the sky. "You were always way too nice Goku!"

As Kuririn flew after Goku, Videl similarly lashed out at Gohan. Gohan, though, managed to dodge the attack. "Videl, please stop!" Gohan pleaded. "I don't want to hurt you!"

"I don't want to hurt you either," Videl said. "I want to kill you!"

"Why? Why are you so intent on killing me?"

She smiled, "You're a smart boy. I'm sure you'll figure it out."

Not fully aware of the fighting going on outside of her house, Chi Chi stepped outside to see why her husband hadn't come back to bed yet. "Goku! Goku, what's going on?"

Moving quicker than Goku could, Kuririn left him alone and landed in front of Chi Chi. "Hiya Chi Chi."

"Kuririn!" Before she could say another word Kuririn backhanded her to the face and Chi Chi fell to the ground.

"That was for all the abuse you've put me through for all these years. You're just lucky you're not the person I'm here after," Kuririn said.

Goku slowly landed between Kuririn and Chi Chi, clearly upset. "That's it. I don't care if we're friends or not." He powered up to a Super Saiyan and added, "You've just gone too far."

"Humph, looks like I've finally gotten your attention," Kuririn said. "Let's do this."

**************************

The big city at night had a beauty all its own. True, the stars didn't shine as brightly, they were easily missed as the city lights illuminated the night sky. And while the city wasn't as peaceful as the Paozu valley, it did hold a level of serenity that came to a violent end as the battle that was taking place within the Capsule Corporation building spilled to the outside.

Of all the things that could be said of Vegeta, but one thing that had always been said was that Vegeta was a man of pride. But as he picked himself off of the ground and wiped the blood off of his mouth, he found his pride wasn't of much help. At any other time, he would've found the thought of having to change into a Super Saiyan just to beat a Human, even one of Kakarotto's friends, ludicrous. 

Vegeta had learned many times, the hard way, that pride had its place. And as he eyed Yamucha walking up to the hole he made crashing through the wall, he concluded that pride had no place in this fight. Spitting out the blood that welled up in his mouth and standing fully erect, Vegeta powered up to a Super Saiyan.

Yamucha stepped through the hole and smirked. "Oh, so you've finally decided I was worth you becoming a Super Saiyan, huh?"

"I don't know how you've become so powerful and frankly, I don't care. You've come to MY home and threatened Bulma and me. I don't care what it takes, but I'm going to see that you pay for that."

Yamucha laughed, "And just how do you expect to do that when you're still not taking me seriously?"

Liabilities, as Vegeta well knew, could get you killed in a fight. That, of course, was the reason why he tried so hard to keep his pride in check. Unfortunately, one liability Vegeta didn't give due attention to, was his temper. At Yamucha's goading, Vegeta's ki roared and he launched himself at Yamucha.

With the ever-present smirk on his face, Yanucha flared his ki and flew off into the sky, with Vegeta hot on his heels. As they reached the center of the city, Yamucha disappeared. Immediately, Vegeta stopped and scanned the sky for his adversary. 

"My, how thing have changed," Yamucha said from behind Vegeta. "When you and your partner landed on Earth, you were so incredibly powerful. You ran rings around me and my friends." Vegeta turned, swiping at Yamucha, but only struck air. "You killed us," Yamucha said, again behind Vegeta. "I don't care if it was your partner Nappa, or those little green things that did all of the work; you were the one who commanded them. And as a result, you get to live happily ever after with the woman I was destined for, while I live miserable and alone."

Again, Vegeta turned, lashing out at Yamucha. This time Yamucha caught Vegeta's fist and in a show of strength, as he did at the beginning of the fight, crushed it. "You two conspired to destroy my life. If anybody is going to pay for anything, it will be you two." For punctuation, Yamucha hurled Vegeta into a skyscraper.

As Vegeta dusted off all of the rubble, Yamucha slowly descended to the hole in the side of the building. "I have to say, though, I think I understand you better. If this is the feeling you get every time you fight against a weaker opponent, I understand why you took so much joy in attacking us."

"SHUT UP!!!" Vegeta fired a ki blast at Yamucha, figuring he would deflect the shot. He did, and Vegeta took advantage of the slight opening by launching his onslaught. He caught Yamucha with a good punch to the face that propelled him to the road below. 

Before Yamucha was able to climb out of the crater he created, Vegeta appeared above him and pounded him with a relentless barrage of punches to his midsection. Unfazed by the rain of punches, Yamucha grabbed Vegeta by the neck and stood up. With the cruel smirk he's worn since the beginning of the fight, Yamucha said, "I could snap your neck right now." He squeezed Vegeta's neck for emphasis. "But this is just too much fun." He charged his ki, focused it on his fist and punched Vegeta with so much force, that it caused a thunderous explosion that could be felt for hundreds of miles.

True turnabout, Vegeta thought to himself, as he was soaring through the air by the force of the blow. Even though he had faced enemies that were overwhelmingly powerful before, this was the first time he ever felt that this may have been what the Humans felt when he and Nappa came to earth in their search for the Dragonballs. To throw your best at an enemy and find that your best wasn't good enough was truly a horrible feeling. Just as Yamucha did, Vegeta felt that he, now, better understood the Human fighters as well.

Vegeta, however, hadn't given Yamucha his best yet.

He finally came to rest back in the front yard of the Capsule Corp. in another thunderous explosion. As he, again, struggled to his feet, Bulma called to him from the hole in the wall he made earlier, "Vegeta, are you all right?"

"What do you think you're doing, woman? Get back inside now!" he yelled to her.

"You'd better listen to him," Yamucha said, slowly descending from the sky. "I wouldn't want you to get hurt by getting caught in our battle. That would rob me of the joy of slowly torturing you to death."

"Yamucha please," Bulma pleaded, "If you want to kill me so badly, then do it. Just leave Vegeta alone. Please."

"Just shut up will you!" blasted Vegeta. "The only one who's going to die around here is you, Human!"

"Empty threats," laughed Yamucha. "The tables have turned, Saiyan. There's no way you can defeat me."

"We'll see about that." Again, Vegeta powered up, causing a strong, searing wind to blow violently. Bulma hid behind the dome's wall, until the hot wind died down. She looked back out at the battlefield. Vegeta's hair had gotten slightly longer and what appeared to be lightening was dancing all about his body. He had gone to SSJ2.

Yamucha narrowed his eyes and for the first time, Vegeta smiled. "I see your smile is gone. What's the matter? You don't seem too eager to continue."

"It's not that," Yamucha said. "It's just that you've finally become worth my full attention."

"Right," Vegeta said. He got into a ready position and Yamucha did the same. Vegeta charged. In the middle of the charge, Vegeta changed directions, but he was moving so fast that an after image continued forward. Yamucha didn't bite on the after image. Instead, he turned behind him, expecting Vegeta to appear there and try to attack him. Vegeta, though, appeared in front of him again and struck Yamucha in the face. As Yamucha came to a stop, Vegeta appeared above him to land what he hoped would be the final blow. Yamucha dodged and kicked Vegeta back into the CC building. 

"Great, there goes another wall," Bulma said to herself.

With comparatively no effort at all, Vegeta got back to his feet in time to see Yamucha charging after him. Vegeta flew out of the building, meeting his charge. Both warriors launched their punches and there was a powerful explosion that threatened to bring down the entire city when their fists met. When the bright light died down and the earth stopped trembling, Bulma looked back to the battlefield and found Yamucha and Vegeta still standing against each other, fist to fist.

"Looks like we're about even," Vegeta said, smiling.

"We'll see," Yamucha said, also smiling.

**************************

The beauty held in Kami's lookout couldn't hold a candle to the natural wonders held on Earth, but Mr. Popo diligently made sure every day that the lookout was as beautiful as possible, befitting a kami. Unfortunately, that beauty had been disappearing rapidly, as #18 and Piccolo continued to battle.

Piccolo was in a quandary and he knew it. As soon as the first punches were thrown, he could tell that she was a lot more powerful than she should be. It seemed, though, that for some reason, #18 wasn't fighting at full strength. She didn't strike Piccolo as the type to toy around with her opponents. Whatever the reason, though, Piccolo was grateful for it. It, at least, gave him a chance to win.

As Dende and Popo watched the aerial battle from the palace, Piccolo peered into #18's cold, hard gaze in hopes of anticipating her next move, but her face, as usual, betrayed nothing. So it was quite sudden when she started moving again. Again, the thought ran through Piccolo's head that #18 wasn't giving him her best, since every attack she had launched against him was successfully blocked…almost. A kick came out of nowhere and caught him square in the jaw.

Before he crashed, Piccolo was able to right himself and land on his feet. He adopted a defensive stance as #18 slowly descended from the sky with her left hand outstretched. Once she landed, #18 fired. Piccolo didn't need to dodge, because the energy blast sailed right by him and exploded some distance behind.

"Whatever happened to you seriously affected your aim," Piccolo said. "I didn't even have to move."

"Who said you were my target?" 

In a panic, Piccolo looked behind him, fully expecting to find Dende or Mr. Popo dead. Instead, he found little shards of metal littering the grounds. "What the…"

"It should be safe for us to speak now," #18 said. "He only sent one to follow each of us."

"What're you talking about?" Piccolo said, still in a defensive posture in case #18 tried anything again.

"You can relax now Piccolo," said #18. "I'm not going to fight you any more."

"You'll excuse me if I don't believe you. You still haven't answered my question."

"You'll get your explanation," #18 said, "but I don't want to have to repeat myself. We have to rescue the Saiyans first." #18 turned and started walking to the edge of the Lookout. She stopped and turned back, looking at Piccolo who hadn't moved. "Are you coming?" she said, impatient.

"Yeah, I'm coming. But I'm warning you, if you try something--"

"Yeah, whatever."

**************************

**************************


	5. Tainted Hearts

Tainted Hearrts 5

No! That was all wrong!

The android searched through the computer database, looking for a body that that suited him. So far, none had yet. The energy-absorbing model was no good. Sure it could get stronger, but he would have to take someone else's energy to do it. Plus he could get very weak very fast. And he didn't think that model could stand up against a Super Saiyan.

The everlasting energy models were strong, very strong. But it too had a fault…the strength he had would be fixed. Sure, he could make it stronger than Goku's strongest form. But he knew somehow that Goku would still find a way to get stronger himself and win…much like he knew that somehow, Goku would come out of this. It wasn't as if he didn't have any confidence in his charges, he just knew that if you wanted something done right, you had to do it yourself, and he felt deep within him that he would end up facing Goku himself.

There was a chiming noise coming from the computer. The android's head fell. He knew who this would be. He pressed a button and answered, "Yes?"

**Is Goku dead yet?**

He knew it. "No, not yet, but I'm working on it."

**And how can you be working on it if you're sitting here talking to me?**

"I have some…friends taking care of it. In fact, I'm watching them work right now. And I can tell you that Goku, along with Gohan, Piccolo and Vegeta are all in dire straits. So not only will you have the man himself dead, you won't have to worry about his friends seeking revenge."

**You mean YOU won't have to worry about his friends.** Damn him. **I have to admit, this sounds good. Looks like we did better with you than I thought. I expect the next time we speak, you will have news of Son Goku's untimely demise.** With that, the line went dead.

Fool. After Goku, it'll be your untimely demise everyone'll be talking about. All he had to do was find the right body…

Dreamweaver Studios Presents Dragonball Z Tainted Hearts Part Five

Vegeta was hurting.

There was no question about it physically. His opponent was strong. He didn't know how he got so powerful, but it didn't matter. What mattered was that the Human was powerful and was beating the life out of him. 

But he was also hurting mentally. It was bad enough that Kakarotto, a third class Saiyan with Human upbringing, was stronger than him. It was bad enough that Gohan, an Earth born half-breed was stronger than him. But to have a lowly a lowly Human that was as strong as he was really got to him. The Saiyans were supposed to be the strongest warrior race in the galaxy; and he, as their prince and future king, was supposed to be the best of them all. To have so many people as strong, or stronger then he was, was absolutely infuriating.

Vegeta looked at Yamucha with more distain than he ever showed Goku or any opponent he ever faced. Vegeta had been fighting him all out for who knew how long, and the bastard was barely winded. Vegeta could only guess about Yamucha's condition; he couldn't sense his power. But he knew that his own power was fading. He could only go two more rounds with him, maybe, at the level they had been fighting. 

Both were in their fighting stances, watching the other for the next move. There was nothing left of their current surroundings. Everything that had the misfortune of being in their way was incinerated by the power of the two combatants. Fortunately, they had moved far enough from the Capsule Corp. building, so it wouldn't suffer more damage and they were on the outskirts of the city, so it didn't have much more damage done to it either.

Vegeta's eyes captured a slight hint of movement. Yamucha's leg closest to him inched ever so slightly towards him. It looked like Yamucha was ready for that next round. Not one to disappoint, Yamucha charged. 

No tricks. No misdirection. Both fighters went at each other and their power exploded when they met. How things have changed for Vegeta. Fighting had always been a sport to him. For so many years, he longed to find worthy challengers to test his prowess against. He found many worthy fighters to battle, but one thing always remained the same; he always won in the end. 

That, of course came to a screeching halt when he met Kakarotto. Kakarotto had so much going against him. He was weak, raised in a planet of weaklings. He couldn't even beat Raditz without getting himself killed. And yet, he managed to defeat him, great Prince Vegeta, supposedly the strongest of all Saiyans. 

Looking back, and he hated to admit it even to himself, he owed Kakarotto a great debt of gratitude for that loss. It was because of that loss, he became powerful enough to rid himself of a lot of nuisances, especially Dadoria and Zarbon. Vegeta hated them beyond words. Then Kakarotto did the unthinkable; he became a Super Saiyan and defeated Freeza. That was a two-fold debt Vegeta owed him. The first, obviously, for beating Freeza. The second was to give him something to shoot for, to become a Super Saiyan himself.

The sport of fighting became so much more enjoyable when he became a Super Saiyan. While the others fought to protect Earth, that was all that mattered to him; the sport…and of course, proving himself superior to Kakarotto. But somewhere along the line, that changed. Where he was wrapped up in himself before and fighting only to prove how great he was, now, he had a real reason to fight. 

Love.

He loved Bulma and he loved Trunks. He finally figured out what Kakarotto had obviously known all along…the fight was grand. You should revel in it in victory or in defeat. But the most important thing wasn't the fight, but what drove you in the fight. Somewhere in his mind, he knew this already, too; hence his sacrifice fighting Majin Buu, but now, it was as if he could see it clearly for the first time. Vegeta didn't even care that Yamucha was after his head. It was the thought of what Yamucha would do to Bulma that fueled him. 

Vegeta landed a punch to Yamucha's gut that doubled him over. Bulma was his and he would be damned if he would let anyone lay a hand on her. Vegeta grit his teeth, focused his ki into his hand and launched an uppercut to Yamucha's jaw that sent the Human reeling. 

Vegeta looked at his fallen foe and, through the blinding pain, smiled. For the first time in their encounter, Yamucha was hurt.

Yamucha painfully pushed himself to his feet, wiped off the blood that ran down the side of his mouth…and laughed. "Good, very good. You actually managed to hurt me. You fight against death as hard as I knew you would. But that last shot took quite a lot out of you. Even though you can't feel my power, I can feel yours. It's dropping dramatically and, even though my power has dropped off as well, it's still much higher than yours."

"You're lying!" blasted Vegeta. "I don't care how strong you are, you're still just a Human! There's no way you can have more stamina than I do!"

"Don't believe me?" said Yamucha. "I guess you have good reason not too. I could just be messing with your head. However, I can make it so you can feel my power." Yamucha blinked half way and his smile grew broader, "How's that? Still don't believe me?"

It was as if a floodgate had been opened. The power coming from Yamucha was enormous. There was no denying it. Vegeta's eyes went wide and he took a step back. He was right. That last blow did use a lot of his power, which meant at that moment, Yamucha's power surpassed his. It didn't matter though. Vegeta steeled himself and prepared for the fight to continue. The only way Yamucha was going to get to Bulma was over his dead body.

Suddenly, there was an explosion not far away from them. Both men looked towards the blast and found some sort of mechanical device in pieces and engulfed in flames. The next thing they noticed was Piccolo hovering just over their heads. Slowly, he descended from the sky and landed next to Vegeta.

"What are you doing here Piccolo?" growled Vegeta. "Get out of here now! This is my fight!" 

"This is a lot bigger than you think," said Piccolo. "For now, I need your help. And to do that, I'm giving you my help and this." Piccolo handed Vegeta a senzu bean.

"What do you take me for?" yelled the Saiyan Prince. "I will not take this thing!"

"Do as you will. But if you die here, now, you won't get your chance to get to the root of the problem, the one that sent him to get you."

Vegeta pondered this for a moment. As much as he wanted Piccolo to take his bean and leave, he would be letting something very important slip through his hands. There was another player in this game and that player seemed to be a puppet master, pulling the Human's strings. Vegeta relented to the idea that it would be better to deal with the king than to waste time with the pawn. He ate the bean, which instantly healed his injuries and replenished his power.

Things suddenly took a turn for the worse for Yamucha. Vegeta was back at full power and he had Piccolo to back him. There was no way that even he could win against those odds in his current condition. "This isn't over," he warned. With that, his power flared to life around him and he flew off.

"He's probably going back to the one who sent him. Let's go!" Vegeta said.

"No."

"What? Why?" 

"Like I said, I need your help first. We have to go save Goku and Gohan first."

"But if we lose him now, we won't find where they're hiding out!"

"He would make sure we couldn't follow him. He's already masking his ki again. Besides, we will know where they're hiding soon enough."

Vegeta looked at him, "How?"

"First, we save Goku and Gohan."

Vegeta glared at the Namek, challenging him, but Piccolo didn't back down. "…fine."

**************************

This had to be a nightmare.

Chi Chi sat, dumbfounded, with little Goten in hand, watching the battle in her front yard. Kuririn struck her. It was true what he said…she hadn't exactly treated him like a friend. But…but he never struck her before. And now, he was fighting Goku, who had been his best friend for most of their lives. To top that off, Gohan was fighting against his rich future wife. 

And why was Videl fighting against Gohan? Didn't Videl know that she wanted her to get married to Gohan so she could be wealthy…oops…so that they could be happy?

"I don't understand mom," Goten said, "why are they attacking us? I thought they were our friends."

"I wish I knew Goten…" Chi Chi hoped someone would wake her up from the nightmare soon.

Despite Goku's burst of anger against Kuririn for hitting Chi Chi, he still couldn't bring himself to fight him full out. True, he was a Super Saiyan and by all rights should have ground the smaller fighter into dust already, but Goku knew that this Kuririn would be able to take the punishment. 

There was still a nagging doubt in Goku's mind that this wasn't the real Kuririn…or, if it were the real Kuririn, then someone had to be controlling him. He wished he had a definite answer. If it were a fake Kuririn he was fighting, then he wouldn't have to hold back. Despite what he did to Chi Chi, Goku couldn't chance hurting his friend, in case the latter were true.

He stole a glance at his son, fighting against what appeared to be the girl he liked. He could tell Gohan was in a similar situation. As strong as Videl was now, Gohan didn't want to hurt her. But was that the real Videl? If they were really who they appeared to be, then why couldn't he feel their ki? That should've been a telltale sign that said 'not real'. However, Goku trusted his instincts and they said hold back.

It was not a good thing to have your thoughts battling inside your head when you were in a battle outside. Goku was reminded of this when Kuririn kicked him in the face, sending him skidding into the earth. He put a hand on his bloodied nose…unquestionably broken. The rage was boiling within him, his, yet untapped, power screaming to be called forth to put an end to this. But the battle within him didn't die, as the question of 'could you live with yourself if you killed your best friend' ran through his head. 

It was a moot point anyway.

"Looks like the end of this 'sparring match', buddy." Kuririn raised his hand above his head and called forth his final attack, "KIENZAN!"

As the circular razor of pure energy raced downward, aiming to decapitate him, Goku thought wryly that it looked like he was going to pay another visit to Kaio soon. With the many deaths he had experienced, this would be the first one from a person he considered a friend. 

This time, however, death was narrowly averted as the Kienzan was deflected by what looked like the corkscrewing energy that made Piccolo's Makankosappou. Goku looked into the sky hovering high above him was, indeed Piccolo, with Vegeta beside him.

Piccolo landed next to Goku and helped him to his feet. "You okay, Son?"

"Nutin much, jusd a broken dose," Goku said.

"So, you've betrayed us too, have you?" snarled Vegeta. He powered strait into SSJ2 and landed in front of Piccolo and Goku, facing off against Kuririn.

"Begeda! Whad are youb doing?" Goku said through his broken nose.

"I fought that other Human, Yamucha. I wasn't able to match him until I powered up to this level."

Kuririn backpedaled at the appearance of the new arrivals. Even though Piccolo wouldn't be a problem, Vegeta would be able to go toe to toe with him in that form. And all in all, four on two didn't make for good odds. 

"Dammit, we lost our advantage. Come on, Videl, we have to leave," shouted Kuririn.

"No! We can still get them!"

"Not like this. With all of them against us, we'd lose in no time. We'll have our time later, but for now, he have to leave!" With that, Kuririn's aura came to life around him and he took off like a rocket.

Videl gave Gohan one last glare and said, "I'll see you again, 'Great Saiyaman'. Count on it." Then she was gone as well.

With the threat gone, all of the warriors powered down. "I woulb still like to dowh what dat was about. Why would dey attack us all ob a sudden? And how dib dey get so powerful?"

"Here, Son." Piccolo gave Goku a senzu been.

"Ah, thank you Piccolo. That's much better."

Gohan walked up to the alien trio, looking more tired than he ever had in his entire life. "Why? Why did she…did they turn on us like that?"

"That's what I'd like to find out," said Vegeta. "You know something, Namek. I want you to tell us now."

"I know less than you think," went Piccolo. "But I'm sure we'll get all of the answers we're looking for once we get back to Capsule Corp."

**************************

In a short amount of time, the Son family and the Briefs family were gathered at Capsule Corp. Goten was put to bed with Trunks, while all of the adults were in Bulma's lab, waiting for their answers from #18. What they got was another cue to wait.

"This is amazing!" Bulma said suddenly.

"What is?" asked Gohan.

"Well, #18 was out earlier to get me a blood sample from Vegeta's fight with Yamucha. There was more of Vegeta's blood everywhere, but she did manage to find a little of Yamucha's." Vegeta growled to himself at the comment. "There seems to be something in his blood…could it be?"

"Nanoprobes," said #18.

"What're nanoprobes?" asked Goku.

"Microscopic robots," Bulma explained. "When they're active, they can do a variety of tasks. Notably, one of the things they do is replicate themselves. But these seem to be dormant."

"That's because these probes in particular cannot function outside of their host bodies," said the android.

"Very fascinating," went Vegeta. "But what does this have to do with anything?"

"They have everything to do with everything," she returned. "There's another android."

"WHAT?"

"That's right," #18 continued. "He kidnapped me, Kuririn, Yamucha and Videl and injected us with these nanoprobes. They did replicate themselves inside of us and together they're acting like a huge transmitter, receiving instructions from the android's main computer. I'm sure you can guess what the instructions are."

"That still doesn't explain how you got so strong, why we can't feel the other's ki, or how you seem to not be affected by these instructions," said Piccolo.

"I don't know why I'm immune," she admitted. "It might be because I'm an android. To answer your other questions, the android has more of your cell samples Dr. Gero used to make Cell. He's using the nanoprobes to mimic the properties of your Saiyan cells. For all intents and purposes, we're Saiyans now too, with as much power as you have and with the ability to grow stronger after every battle. And you can't feel their ki, because the probes are equipped with dampening fields. You won't be able to feel their ki through them."

"How can there be another android?" Goku thought out loud. "We destroyed them all. Trunks and Kuririn destroyed Gero's lab. The Red Ribbon army should be dead."

"The Red Ribbon army may not be flourishing like it once did, but it's far from dead. There are others, inactive members, retirees, members that keep themselves in the shadows all over the world. They haven't tried anything before because they were banking on Dr. Gero to get you. When you died in the fight with Cell, they thought they had won. But they started work again after they saw you fight Majin Buu."

"…so, he didn't attack us because he wanted to…" said Bulma, also thinking out loud. "…he attacked us because he was being controlled by the android…"

Hearing the relief in Bulma's voice, Vegeta growled, "Whatever. The question is what do we do now? I do not feel like sitting around, waiting for them to attack us again."

"I didn't think you would. I'm going to go back to the android's lab. I want you," #18 pointed to the three Saiyan men and Piccolo, "to follow me there. Once I'm inside, I can shut down his main computer. That should get Kuririn and the others back to normal. From there, we should have no trouble taking the android down together."

"Hmm…that sounds like a good idea," said Goku. "I like it."

"Feh. Idiot. You would," spat Vegeta.

Goku looked at him, "What?"

Basically cut from the same mold, Piccolo knew exactly what Vegeta was getting at. "How do we know she's telling the truth? For all we know, this could be what the android's computer is instructing her to do."

Vegeta nodded in agreement. "We'd be giving ourselves to this android."

#18 started for the exit, "Whatever. I didn't have to come to you, you know. I just thought you'd want the chance to get your friends back. Do what you want. I don't care. But I'm going back. I'm not going to leave my husband there with that thing." After saying her peace, she walked out.

Immediately after she stepped through the door, Gohan started after her. "Where are you going Gohan?"

"I'm following #18. I don't care if it's a trap or not. They're our friends and I'm going to do everything in my power to get them back, even if I have to do it alone." 

Goku put a hand on his son's shoulder, "You won't be alone son. I'll be right there with you."

Before they could reach the door, Piccolo called to them, "Wait! If you're going, I may as well go too. SOMEONE with a clear head needs to be out there with you."

The Son duo along with Piccolo walked out of the room, leaving Vegeta with Chi Chi and Bulma. The two women glared at him. "What?" he said. Saying nothing, the two women continued to bore a hole into the Saiyan prince with their eyes. Disquieted by the silent female rage directed at him, he cracked, "ALL RIGHT! I'll go! I'd rather face a death trap than you two anyway." Vegeta ran out the door after the other fighters. "This can only end in disaster…"

**************************

**************************


	6. Tainted Hearts

Tainted Hearts 6

A long time ago, a great battle took place.

A battle, which this being lost.

Long before Bibi Di released Majin Buu, he was the Kai-o-shin's greatest enemy. 

He tried his hardest to fight them but they were many and he was but one. 

In the end, he was defeated and the Kai-o-shins sealed him away here. Where was here? Nowhere. He was locked away in a lifeless void in a pocket of an alternate dimension, fated to spend the rest of his existence to slowly go insane in this perfectly sterile environment. 

In this totally sensory deprived area, he spent many eons plotting revenge against the Kai-o-shins of his galaxy and it always ate at him, knowing that his dream of revenge would remain just that…a dream.

But something happened that gave him a glimmer of hope that his dream could become a reality. The fabric of time and space had, somehow, been severely weakened. If only his powers weren't being inhibited, he would have been able to break out of his prison already.

There was nothing he could do now but wait and hope that the boundaries of space and time would be weakened further.

Dreamweaver Studios Presents

Dragonball Z

Tainted Hearts

Part six

High in the crystal blue, early morning sky, for alien warriors soared at top speed towards their next battle. Three of the four had fighting in their blood and under normal circumstances, they would be very excited, looking forward to the challenge.

These weren't normal circumstances.

Indeed, it seemed that, this time, they met enemies they had no hope of defeating. It wasn't because they couldn't do it; to the contrary, even though their enemies are incredibly powerful, at their strongest, two of the four, Son Goku and Son Gohan could still easily defeat them. The problem was this time, these were enemies they, especially Son Goku and Son Gohan, were unwilling to defeat.

This time, their enemies were their friends. 

Each flew in silence, contemplating their coming battle. None noticed when the terrain shifted from smooth rolling plains to rugged, unforgiving mountains. Of them all, however, Piccolo wasn't too wrapped up in his thoughts to notice when #18 slowed. "What is it?" Piccolo asked.

"We're pretty close now," #18 said. "You should wait out here while I go inside first."

"And what?" went Vegeta, "Warn the others in there that we're here? I knew you couldn't be trusted."

#18 looked at him, "Are you done? I should be able to disable the computer once I'm inside. Hopefully, we should be able to get the others back without a fight. But you guys need to set down here."

"Here? Why?" asked Gohan.

"If he had cameras following each of us, then it's a safe bet that he has others surrounding his lab watching for intruders. And if they spot you, there will be a fight. You do want to avoid that, don't you?"

"Alright, we'll keep back," Goku said. "We're counting on you."

With a nod, #18 flew onward while the other four stopped. As she slowed down and descended to the mountains below, each took note of where, exactly, she landed. She touched down on a wide ledge with nothing but sheer rock face in front of her. She put a hand on the rock face and it suddenly swung inward. She stepped in and the rock door closed behind her.

"Hmm…" went Piccolo, as he surveyed the area surrounding the lab entrance. "Clever. The area surrounding the doorway is completely uncovered. We would be spotted the instant we got anywhere near it. We should do what she says for now." After his analysis, Piccolo descended to the cover of the forest below. The Saiyans followed suit.

"*Che*…I don't see why we have to slink around in the shadows like this. It's cowardly."

"I know what you're thinking," Goku said. "And the answer is no. I'm not about to have us bursting in there, blasting away, possibly hurting our friends when there's a chance we can get them back without even fighting."

As he spoke, Goku leveled Vegeta with a glare that he usually reserved for hated enemies. As Vegeta recalled, the only time he had been on the receiving end of that glare was just after Babi Di had corrupted him and he killed those people at the boudokai stadium. Vegeta ignored the words, but the glare, even though he didn't show it, shook him greatly. Feeling he had no choice but to consent, Vegeta turned his back to the others, "Humph, have it your way."

**************************

"You lost?" the android said, indignant. "All of you LOST?" He put his hand to his head and rubbed his temples, feigning a headache. "And just how is it that you could have been defeated? I augmented your abilities, so that you were more powerful then they were."

"Actually, that's not true," Yamucha said.

The android looked at him, "Excuse me?"

"Vegeta was going all out when we fought. Our powers were equal."

"So they were a little stronger than I anticipated," said the android. "Still, you were equal. Why did you retreat?"

"Because, one on one, we were a match for them. But we had no choice but to leave when it became two on one." Yamucha could see the understanding wash over the android's face. "I had Vegeta dead to right because, even though our powers were equal, my endurance was higher. But before I could go in for the kill, Piccolo appeared out of nowhere and gave him a senzu bean. There was no way I could have won against a refreshed Vegeta in the shape I was in. The addition of Piccolo only made things worse."

"Afterwards, Piccolo and Vegeta came and saved Goku and Gohan from us," added Kuririn. "We had no choice."

The android took in all of the information. "It seems the key player in all of this is Piccolo. Because of him, everything went to waste. #18 was fighting against him." He looked at the group again, "And where is android #18?"

"Right here," #18 said, striding into the main lab.

"You're a mess," Kuririn noted. He walked up to her and gave her hand a squeeze. Funny, even with the mess they found themselves in, Kuririn still managed to be affectionate with her. It just struck her as odd that, even though he had been brainwashed by that thing, that he would be the same with her.

"I've seen you looking better too," she returned.

"And what happened to you?" asked the android. 

"Excuse me?"

"It's quite simple. Piccolo was the first to interrupt a fight. You were the one who was fighting Piccolo, which means that, somehow, you were the first one to be defeated. But, you are the last one back. Why is that?"

Kuririn immediately jumped in, "Hold on, you aren't implying #18 betrayed us, are you?"

"Simply being careful," said the android. "Answer the question."

"I won't make any excuses," lied #18, "the Namek was stronger than I thought."

"What do you mean? Piccolo should have been no problem for you."

"I wasn't talking about him. I was talking about the other Namek."

"You can't be talking about Dende," blurted Yamucha. "He can't be that strong. He's not even a fighter."

She hadn't known the little Namek well, but what she did see of him, he was passive; which was perfect. Yamucha's last statement only confirmed what she suspected. The bluff should work. "Then I guess you've never seen him fight. He is usually passive, but even he has his limits. He couldn't take seeing Piccolo being beaten like he was and decided to intervene."

"It kinda makes sense," said Kuririn. "After seeing his family killed by Freeza and everything that happened with Cell and Majin Buu, he probably felt as helpless as we used to. And seeing #18 beating the crap out of Piccolo caused him to snap."

#18 nodded, "Together, Dende and Piccolo were able to defeat me. After Dende healed Piccolo, they decided they would hold me on Kami's lookout while Piccolo went to help the Saiyans. But on his own, he was no match for me. So, not long after Piccolo left, I escaped."

"You didn't hurt him, did you?" asked Yamucha.

"Of course not. I'm only interested in Piccolo. I won't harm anyone else if I don't have to, especially not Kami."

"There, do you see?" Kuririn said to the android. "Perfectly good explanation. I hope you understand now that my wife is many things, but she is not a liar." That hurt. Kuririn's show of faith in her jolted her and caused her to lose composure momentarily. No one noticed.

"I see," said the android. "Very well. All of you should rest yourselves and heal. We've lost the element of surprise and we'll need to plan our next offensive."

"Understood," everyone said in unison.

****

Finally alone, #18 found her way to the inner sanctum of the lab, where the main computer was housed. While she was being injected with the nanoprobes and was given instructions, she traced the signal back to its source and picked up some vital information. She wasn't able to get everything, but enough to know that the Red Ribbon army wasn't dead yet and to know that this is the computer that's sending the instructions to her and the others.

The android hadn't had the time to set any backups in place yet, so when this computer was taken down, that should free Kuririn and everyone else. She raised her hand and gathered her energy. One blast and this would all be over

'…I hope you understand now that my wife is many things, but she is not a liar.'

Remembering Kuririn's words, she hesitated. He had such faith in her. That was one of the reasons she fell in love with him, he had a faith in her that no one else was willing to give her…that no one else could get him to break. Even now, under the control of this android, Kuririn's faith in her was shining through. 

And she lied to him.

She knew what she was doing was right, rescuing him from the android. But that still didn't quell the guilt she felt. Kuririn was everything to her now and the thought of losing him, no matter how slim the chance was, scared her. She didn't think she would be able to exist without Kuririn by her side.

'This has to be done. We can't stay under the thumb of this machine. And I know Kuririn wouldn't be able to live with himself if he ever hurt his friends. I just hope he can forgive me for this afterwards.'

Steeling herself, she gathered her energy again. This time, it's over.

"#18!" Or not…

She turned around and found the android standing behind her. And behind him were Videl, Yamucha and Kuririn. "As I thought. It looks like I was right to be suspicious about you." She should have never hesitated. She turned back to the computer and charged to fire. "Restrain her." With the blinking of an eye, Videl and Yamucha had #18's arms held back. They turned her around, facing the android and Kuririn.

"You lied…" Kuririn said, a hurt expression on his face. "I stood up for you and you lied…to me…" #18 averted her eyes, unable to bear the withering gaze from her husband.

"She has betrayed us," said the android. "There is only one way to repay betrayal. I think that honor should go to you, Kuririn." Kuririn looked at him and he nodded, adding, "Eliminate her."

Kuririn stepped in front of the android and looked at his wife. She lied to him. After he stood up for her she lied. She deserved to be punished. But…kill her? He looked back to the android and he nodded again. Turning back to her, he raised his hand and gathered his ki. He was right, there was only one way to pay back betrayal. 

She looked at him, her eyes filled with pain and defiance and his hand began to tremble. This was his wife…the mother of his child…how could he even think about doing this? He couldn't bring himself to kill her before, there was no way he could do it now, not even for him. Despite how she had hurt him, he still loved her. And from the look in her eyes, it was apparent that she loved him dearly as well.

'How do I get out of this?' Kuririn thought. His eyes widened as the answer was provided for him. "He's here…"

The android looked at him, "Who's here?"

Kuririn's eyes narrowed. "Goku."

"He's here?"

"Yeah, he is," confirmed Yamucha. "Vegeta is there too, along with Gohan and Piccolo. Their ki is very faint, like they're trying to hide form us, but I can feel it. They're right outside."

"You had them follow us, 'ay #18? Kuririn, Videl, Yamucha, I know how badly you want to rip into them, so I won't stop you. Leave #18 with me."

"Right." Now he'd have to do his own dirty work and, thanks to #18, they all knew that the android was nowhere near as strong as they were.

****

"Look!" Following Gohan's pointing finger, all eyes turned to the lab entrance. Off in the distance, three energy trails shot out of the same area #18 disappeared into and started towards them.

"I knew we shouldn't have trusted that machine!" spat Vegeta.

"But there are only three of them," Gohan stated. "What happened to #18?"

"Who cares!" Vegeta powered to SSJ level 2, "Yamucha is mine!" At that, he shot into the air, strait at Yamucha.

Goku powered up to the same level. "Gohan, get ready to defend yourself. Piccolo, it's all up to you now. You have to find that computer and destroy it."

"Right."

****

Piccolo reached the entrance to the lab as the battle between the Humans and the Saiyans got into full swing. Not wasting any time, he blasted the door open and entered the lab. There wasn't really much to the place, it was like Gero's lab in that respect. As he continued inward, he could make out the sound of verbal fighting.

"I'm going to make you pay for brainwashing Kuririn!" That was #18. Apparently, she hadn't betrayed them.

"Humph, you have no idea how wrong you are." That must be the other android she was talking about. "Actually, that was my original intention, turning them into my minions to kill Goku. But, apparently, the people who created me didn't do a good job of it, because I made some serious errors when coding the instructions for the nanoprobes, although it turned out so much better. 

"You see, they aren't brainwashed. All I ended up doing was powering you up and giving you nudges in the right direction. Everything you've done since then were things you've secretly wanted to do." There was a pause, Piccolo guessed because he was enjoying the response he was getting from #18. Piccolo guessed she had a reaction similar to his.

"Y-you mean that Kuririn secretly wanted to kill Goku all this time?" #18 asked. There was another pause. "And I really blamed Piccolo for what happened to me and #17?"

"To be honest, I don't know what's the matter with you," the android said. "Maybe it has something to do with your being an android. Then again, you do have a history of betrayal. Perhaps I will find out after I rip you apart, piece by piece."

"You must be defective," taunted #18. "Maybe you've forgotten, but you made us incredibly powerful, more so than yourself. You can't beat me, but I can certainly beat you!" Piccolo chanced a peek around the corner. #18 was in a fighting stance, while, he guessed, the android was facing her with his hands at his waist.

"Can you now?" the android asked coolly. Bearing her teeth in a snarl, #18 lunged at him. She reared her fist back, primed to strike him, then froze. From her expression, it appeared to Piccolo like she was struggling against something. "What's the matter? I'm right here."

"What's…happening…" went #18.

"Heh, I'm not the fool Gero was. The instructions coming form the computer may be faulty, but not the instructions hard coded into the probes. No matter how badly you may want to, you can't hurt me. But I can hurt you." To prove his case, he backhanded her in the face. #18 staggered back a few feet, then touched her face and examined her hand. "As you can tell, that's not all"

"Wha-what in the…" she stammered, gawking at the blood.

"Heh, I also coded the probes to shoot intense pain through your body when I and only I strike you. The brain is such a wonderful thing. I can't hurt you directly, but by making your brain think I actually hurt you, it makes your body respond accordingly." He landed a punch on her stomach followed by an uppercut to the face. She landed hard on the far wall, making a deep hole with her body. She then landed on the floor, coughing violently and breathing hard. "Guess what will happen if your brain thinks I landed a punch hard enough to kill…"

Unable to take anymore, Piccolo powered up and charged in, kicking the android in the face, away from #18. The android pushed himself off of the ground and looked at his attacker, "YOU?!"

"Maybe she can't hurt you, but I can!"

****

Boy, did that hurt. Goku wiped the blood from his mouth and waited for Kuririn's next assault. Somehow, he seemed to have lost a step since their last encounter. It's likely because they didn't have time enough to heal from their last encounter, so Goku was fresh, while Kuririn was worn. If he were any other opponent, Goku would have capitalized on the weakness, but again, he was hampered with not wanting to seriously hurt his friend.

Vegeta, as he figured, wasn't having the same problems. He appeared to have the upper hand against Yamucha, who was backpedaling from Vegeta's onslaught. After what appeared to be a sloppy move on Yamucha's part, Vegeta caught him with a backhand to the face that propelled him through several low altitude peeks before skidding to a halt on the rocky terrain below. Vegeta followed up with a large ki blast that resulted in a mushroom cloud that could be seen for miles around.

Dammit, Vegeta was fighting to kill. Unfortunately, that seemed to be the only way to approach this, because Vegeta was the only one holding his own. Barely. Thinking he was down, Vegeta was caught off guard as Yamucha appeared behind him and nailed him with a kick to the head, causing Vegeta to crash down to the ground. As Vegeta bounced from the impact Yamucha came down, legs fully extended and landed a crushing blow on the small of Vegeta's back. If Vegeta were even the slightest bit weaker, his back would have been shattered.

There was another explosion behind Goku. He turned around and saw Gohan struggling to get to his feet. He seemed to be less inclined to fight than Goku himself. Not far away was Videl, slowly stalking him.

"Videl, please, don't do this," Gohan said weakly.

"Don't?" Videl repeated, her voice dripping with venom. "Why not?"

"Because…" Gohan paused, "because, I love you."

Videl stopped in her tracks, "What?"

"I…" Gohan suddenly found it difficult to talk. He knew it to be true. He enjoyed the time they spent together and would, sometimes, make up excuses to be with her. With this threatening to rip them apart forever, he felt if this weren't said now, it would never be said. "I love you…Videl…"

Goku could see the change on Videl's face. As she continued to approach him, the look of glaring hatred melted to one of absolute bliss. "G-Gohan…"

A look of hope flashed across Gohan's face, "Videl…"

As they got close, Videl caught Gohan with a roundhouse to the temple. As Gohan recovered from the blow, Videl sneered at him, "Next time, declare your love to someone who cares." Ouch. Goku didn't know what hurt worse, the kick or the rejection. 

Sensing movement in front of him, Goku turned around just in time to get nailed by a punch to the jaw. "You should pay attention to your own fight 'buddy'!" said Kuririn. Goku righted himself and prepared to defend himself. He really hoped Piccolo would hurry with that computer.

****

While Piccolo and the android were battling, #18 lay sprawled on the ground, struggling just to get to her hands and knees. Never before had she experienced such pain. Even though the blows were received some time ago, the pain still resonated through her like it was freshly delivered. Not used to having to endure pain like this, she found it difficult to even think. 

She couldn't remember anything before Gero turned her and her brother into the cybernetic beings they were now. Even though both had been beaten many times while in battle, neither felt any physical pain; it was an alien concept to both. She couldn't understand how the others could function through such horrid sensations…they were too much to bear.

There was a loud thud beside her. She tried to see passed the stars obscuring her vision to see to her side. Piccolo was there, also struggling to get to his feet, with more success. "#18, what are you doing? While I'm keeping this thing busy, destroy the computer!"

"Can't…move…the pain…"

Piccolo looked at her. "You've never experienced real pain before, have you?" She held her head down, suddenly finding it too heavy for her neck to support. "Listen to me, you have to focus. Block out the pain and do what you have to do!"

"How?" she asked, her words escaping in rasps. "How do you do it?"

"It can be hard, but you're strong. You can do it." Piccolo got ready to attack again, but before he did, he added, "Remember, you have people counting on you."

As Piccolo attacked the android again, #18's eyes opened wide at his parting words. 'People are counting on me…Kuririn…' Even though the android said that they were doing what they secretly wanted to do, 18 remembered him saying, too, that the computer was sending instructions to them. Even though Kuririn may have wanted more than anything to be as strong as Goku and may have even wanted to beat him in a match, did he really want to kill him? Or was the computer feeding him that? '…Marron…' Their daughter…if they were going to stay under the service of this android, what would become of her?

With her husband and child on her mind, she blocked out the blinding pain and pushed herself to her feet. The android saw her stand and turn towards the computer. He tried to stop her again, but Piccolo blocked his advance. Once again, she gathered her energy and this time, she fired, destroying the computer. 

"NO, YOU FOOL! DO YOU KNOW WHATYOU'VE DONE?!?" the android screamed. 

The destruction of the main computer caused a chain of explosions to resonate throughout the lab. The three occupants hurried for the exit but were too late as the explosion totally obliterated roughly one tenth of the mountain range.

****

He was down; the gloss in his hair was gone. Goku was beaten. Kuririn had him. He raised his hand to deliver the deathblow, signifying his final and long in coming victory over Goku. Before he was able to deliver the blow, an explosion rocked the area. At the same time, something within Kuririn clicked. He looked gazed at his surroundings, as if noticing them for the first time. Then he turned his attention to his friend lying at his feet. "Goku…"

Goku slowly opened an eye. He could see the confused look on his friend's face. "Kuririn…you're back."

It was as if waking up from a dream. Kuririn could remember everything that happened, everything he had done. "Goku, I'm sorry…I'm so--"

"Don't worry about it," Goku said weakly. "It wasn't your fault…"

There was another awakening taking place not far away. She had her energy gathered, poised to incinerate her hybrid opponent. But, as with Kuririn, with the explosion came her freedom from the android's influence. She saw Gohan lying face down in the ground and the tears began streaming from her eyes as his earlier words struck her.

She ran to his side and propped his head on her lap. "G-Gohan!"

"Videl…" went Gohan in a frail voice.

She looked into his eyes, fear evident on her face and nervousness filling her voice "Did…did you mean what you said before? Do…do you really love me?" 

He nodded. "I have been for a long time…I was…scared to say so before…but I was more scared of losing you…I felt I had to say it…"

The tears intensified, "Gohan…you have no idea how long I've wanted to hear that…I was afraid if I said anything before I might have scared you away…I love you too Gohan…" 

Another explosion ripped through the sky, catching everyone's attention. Yamucha had struck Vegeta down to the ground again and began raining down ki blasts at his fallen form. As the smoke cleared, Vegeta was revealed, unconscious, but alive.Yamucha brought his hands together; forming a large ki blast to finish his foe off, "Time to die Saiyan!"

"Yamucha!" yelled Kuririn. "STOP! We're free from that android! You don't have to do this!"

"I DON'T CARE!" screamed Yamucha. "Not only did he have me killed, but he took any chance I had for happiness away from me. I've finally been given a chance to get even with him and I won't let it go to waste!"

"What do you think this will do to Bulma?" asked Kuririn.

Yamucha paused. She conspired with Vegeta to do this to him. He shouldn't care how she felt. But, as he searched within himself, he found he did still care for her. Even though he harbored the same animosity for her as he did Vegeta, he knew he couldn't do anything purposely to hurt her. Reluctantly, he allowed the energy to dissipate and he landed.

He looked at Vegeta's fallen form with distain, then walked away from him. Kuririn put a hand on Yamucha's shoulder, "You did right, man." Yamucha snorted and turned away from him. "Come on, we gotta get these guys healed."

"Healed?" a voice rang out. "That's a step in the wrong direction." The Humans turned to find the battered android walking towards them. He surveyed the battlefield, noting the conditions of the Saiyans. "Heh, not bad work. It would be a shame to undo all that you've done so far."

Kuririn moved between him and Goku. "We're not your pawns anymore. If you want to get to Goku, you're going to have to get by us first!" 

The android smiled, "If you wish…" The android launched himself at Kuririn, landing a strait punch in his midsection. Kuririn doubled over, pain shooting throughout his being, worse than the pain he experienced after being struck by Cell. The android's smile broadened and he backhanded Kuririn away from the fallen Saiyan.

At the sight of seeing his friend felled, Yamucha leaped into action. Vegeta was one thing, but there was no way he was going to stand by and let Goku and Kuririn get hurt by that thing. He powered up and primed a massive ki blast to incinerate the android. At the point of firing, however, the blast fizzled to nothing. Yamucha looked at his hand, "What the…"

"Understand now?" asked the android. "The probes give you immense power, but they also restrict you from attacking me." As he did with Kuririn, he swatted Yamucha out of his way. He turned to Videl, looking to see if she was going to make a similar move. She clutched Gohan closer to her, but made no aggressive move. Still smiling, he looked down at the defenseless Saiyan at his feet. "Well, Son Goku, at last we meet face to face." He extended his hand and aimed it at Goku's head. "Such a shame that our first meeting is going to be cut short. At last, after all this time, the Red Ribbon army will finally have its retribution."

Before he was able to fire, his enhanced hearing detected a whistling sound. He turned towards the sound in time to see a spiraling energy blast a split second just before it struck him dead center in the chest, knocking him away from Goku. As he recovered from the blast, he found Piccolo and #18 standing in front of his target. "Damn…they survived too…"

With no words, Piccolo handed #18 his last two senzu beans. She took one, broke it and fed half to Goku. After gaining a measure of relief, Goku stood up and dusted himself off. "That's much better. Thank you. So, this is the android behind all of this, huh?" 

Damn it. This was the end. He was barely a match for Piccolo. There was no way he could stand up to Goku in his present state. "It looks as though I've lost…" He stood up and faced all of his enemies. "I don't think we've been properly introduced yet. I'm Neo. Remember that name, because you WILL see me again!" He spread out his arms and flashed his energy, similar to the Solar Flare, blinding everyone. By the time everyone got their vision back, Neo was long gone. 

"He got away," lamented Piccolo.

"Does it matter?" #18 said, helping her husband to his feet. 

"No, it doesn't. Not now anyway," stated Goku as he looked at his friends. "We should look after our own first. He'll get his another time."

**************************

Three days had passed since the android Neo had vanished and no one had heard from him since. That suited Kuririn just fine. He was just glad to be home again. The others had agreed to meet in a few days at Capsule Corp. to celebrate their return. Until then, it was recommended that all of them recuperated from their ordeal. 

After looking them over, Bulma noted that even though the probes within them weren't receiving instructions anymore, they were still working from the commands hard coded within them. Which meant the power they gave Kuririn and the others were still theirs to command. To be on par with Goku again…it was something he dreamed of for so long…

"HA! Got you!" went little Marron, jumping on her father's back. 

'Things were definitely going to be different', he mused,. Now, he had the power to defend his family properly from any dangers that would threaten them. Nothing would harm his family ever again. 

#18 couldn't help but smile, watching Kuririn and Marron play on the beach. Unlike Kuririn, she didn't care that she was no longer on the Saiyan's level. She was happy with the way things were before. She didn't think she could ever have a normal life, but Kuririn provided her with one in the form of, what she felt, was the perfect family. He once confided in her that a family was what he wanted too, more than anything. Somewhere down the line, he must have forgotten that.

"He looks so happy, doesn't he?" asked Roshi. "A far cry from the way he was before, 'eh?"

"Yeah. He is," she said.

"He's so giddy to be so strong, he hasn't been still since he got back."

"I know better than anyone," she commented, remembering the previous three nights. 

"Well, maybe now things will get back to normal around here."

'…they aren't brainwashed. All I ended up doing was powering you up and giving you nudges in the right direction. Everything you've done since then were things you've secretly wanted to do.' "I do hope so…" she said, trying to shake the memory of the android's words.

Roshi put a hand on her, "C'mon, dear. Have faith. I know things will be all right. Just you wait and see."

Here eyes changed, from the one filled with worry over her husband, back to their usual cold appearance and grabbed the aged master by the head. "Remember what I said I'd do the last time you put your hand on my behind?"

She began to squeeze his shiny head. "See," he said, "-OOH!- things are –OOCH!-getting back to normal -IIEE!-already. OUCH!"

**************************

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	7. Tainted Hearts

It was just too much to bear

It was just too much to bear. The others all went back to the way things were before, but he couldn't. The transformation he underwent brought forth too much to the surface and he couldn't simply suppress it again.

_Who can say_

_Where the road goes_

_Where the day flows_

_Only time_

Yamucha's heart turned to stone whenever he thought about Bulma and Vegeta being together. With the new power he had gained from the android, he could do what he secretly wished he could do to Vegeta for so many years. The thing about it was, what would that do to Bulma? Even though he was still angry at her, he still loved her with every thing he had. Taking out Vegeta would likely hurt her terribly and he didn't want that.

He also didn't want to constantly see them together either. 

_And who can say_

_If your love grows_

_As your heart chose_

_Only time_

Dreamweaver Studios Presents

Dragonball Z

Tainted Hearts

Epilogue

After the mess with the android Neo, everyone gathered at Capsule Corporation to celebrate the homecoming of their friends. Off to himself, Yamucha watched as the others indulged in their camaraderie. They all seemed so happy, especially Gohan and Videl. If what he heard was correct, they had admitted that they loved each other at the end of the battle.

Love. There was a time when he knew what that felt like.

_Who can say _

_Why your heart sighs_

_As your love flies_

_Only time_

They were all pretty much paired up. Goku with Chichi, Kuririn with 18, Gohan and Videl were together as well as…as well as Vegeta and Bulma. Gohan and Videl were off to the side with each other while the others were in a group chatting with each other. Vegeta was also off to himself, but Yamucha notice that he did stay close to Bulma.

He heard Kuririn and Goku talking about how it was going to be like old times, with them sparring and fighting together side by side. It was a thrilling thing to be on par with Goku again, Yamucha admitted.

But as he looked at Bulma and remembered the way things were before they knew what a Saiyan he finally resigned to the fact that it would never be like old times, ever again.

_And who can say_

_Why your heart cries_

_When your love lies_

_Only time_

Just think, Yamucha, girl crazy Yamucha was at one time afraid of women…well, not afraid. He just didn't know how to act around women, especially ones he had a liking for. 

The desert bandit was content with his life. There was no one who could stand up to him in a fight. Except for the boy Goku. He never thought such a person could exist. Goku was such a powerful kid, but so likable and naive. Even though Yamucha was consumed with defeating him, he couldn't help liking him too. 

But with Goku came Bulma…She was unlike anyone he had met before. She was so sharp and had a biting wit that drew him to her. Even though he got so nervous around her that he lost his cool, he didn't care, as long as he could stay with her.

_Who can say_

_When the roads meet_

_That love might be_

_In your heart_

But she was also so stubborn. They had so many personality clashes from the time they met till the time the Saiyans showed up; sometimes he thought it was better not knowing her. But, somehow, they always found their way back to each other.

Why? Why didn't they end up together again like they always did? What happened that last time that drove Bulma into the arms of Vegeta of all people?

_And who can say_

_When the day sleeps_

_If the night keeps _

_All your heart_

As Yamucha sunk deeper into despair, he noticed Bulma was watching him. It seemed she knew how he was feeling. She had the look in her face that she wanted to reach out to him, comfort him in some way.

There was nothing she could do. Anything she would have done would have just made him feel worse. No longer able to stand the happy atmosphere that permeated the room, Yamucha got up out of his seat and left.

_Night keeps all your heart_

Stepping out into the night, Yamucha took a deep breath. There were no stars shining down on the Earth that night as the clouds blanketed the sky. That was good. The gloomy night mirrored what was in his heart at the moment. 

Closing his eyes, he leaned back on the side of the building. His original plan was simply to leave, but he could feel the energy signature of someone coming out after him. No…not just someone, THE one. The one who caused him the pain he was experiencing at the moment.

Since it would likely be the last time he ever saw her, he didn't want to be so rude as to not say goodbye at least. 

Opening the door he was standing beside, Bulma poked her head out and got a long look at her one time love. He favored her with a smile but she could see in his eyes that he had lost the fire they had in them at one time. It was only then that it occurred to her that those eyes lost their fire a long time ago…when Trunks was born. It occurred to her then that she never paid attention until now.

"Yamucha--"

He raised a hand to stop her, "You don't have to say anything."

"No, please," she continued, "I want to say this. I…I'm glad to know that you didn't do what you did because you wanted to. It was the android who was controlling you…"

"You're wrong," he said flatly. "The android did change us, but he made this very clear. We went after who we went after because we wanted to. The long harbored resentments we acted on weren't warped, only magnified."

Bulma's eyes widened, "You mean…"

"The person who attacked you wasn't the pawn of an android. That was me, heart and soul."

From there, both stood in a long silence so that their interchange could be digested.

_Who can say_

_If your love grows_

_As your heart chose_

_Only time_

Bulma looked up at him, "You don't want to…still…do you?"

"No," he assured her. "But I still can't stand seeing you with him." He let out a long sigh and continued. "I guess there's only one thing left for me to do." He looked at her, "I'm leaving, Bulma." 

"Leaving? W-why?"

"Like I said, I can't stand seeing you with Vegeta. And I know that if I stay here, I will fight with Vegeta and it will be to the death. And I think if that were to happen, you would be the one hurt most by it. I have to leave."

"Well…when will you be back?"

"I won't be." He stood in front of Bulma and took her hands. "I just wanted to say goodbye before I left."

"You don't have to do this you know," pressed Bulma. "I know the way things happened wasn't right and it was wrong to let this go for so long without working it out, but I know we can. I mean, we can at least remain friends like always…"

"No…I…" Yamucha choked slightly, then continued. "Like I said before, that person you saw before wasn't real. He put on a happy face, but he was dying every time he saw you and him together…I…" He held his head down and choked again.

"Yamucha…"

Yamucha looked up, into Bulma's eyes caught in a moment Yamucha imagined they would share many times over the years. Noticing movement in his peripheral vision, he looked up beyond Bulma. Standing just inside the doorway was Vegeta, listening to their conversation. He could feel the rage building within him and the need to rip the Saiyan bastard's head off.

That wasn't what he wanted, not now.

"I should go now."With that, he dropped Bulma's hands, turned around and walked away.

_And who can say_

_Where the road goes_

_Where the day flows_

_Only time_

After he made it some distance away, he turned back to gaze upon the Capsule Corp building one last time. He could still see her, standing there, watching him leave. 'I shouldn't have looked back', he mused as pain and regret washed over his being.

Turning back to the road ahead of him he thought about that family he saw that day while he was in the restaurant. That was the happy ending he had dreamt about half of his life, since he met Bulma. Long ago he had learned a lesson, a lesson that had been taken to heart only recently.

There were no such things as happy endings.

_Who knows- only time._

**************************

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Included song – "Only Time" by Enya from the album "A Day Without Rain" 

Enya is a registered trademark. Music and lyrics published by EMI Music Publishing Ltd. Copyright 2000 Warner Music UK LTD__


End file.
